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The C-section drugs were pretty good, hee hee.

?400 for one night for B&B on the date we're after - argh! Agree that since is not like we go away often would be OK to splurge, but maybe not quite that much! Am sure my husband would love it mind you, he likes to be king of the castle!

We are hoping to have a night away together without the little'un for the first time, she's 16 months old. Would like it to be within a couple of hours drive, relaxing, nice food/bar in the place or within easy walking distance, comfy, quiet bedroom etc. etc. Ideally some nice countryside would be good, but not essential as we wouldn't mind just chilling out. Am currently in Trip Advisor hell and haven't a clue where to go. Anyone got any tips?

Ooh yes, "forever" was the dirty one! Hee hee. Remember it doing the rounds at school. Along with the rude bits of the bonkbusters. Thanks for the tip on the LM Montgomery book Jessie, will definitely look into that. I read what was then the last one of the series where they were married and had kids and there was a stillborn baby and one - or more - of the sons got killed in the first world war, so maybe it was the abridged version. Vocab etc. is important in school, for lots of subjects, and even more at A-level than GCSE, definitely good to encourage reading, but sympathise with Silly Woman in trying to find a good way to do so. I have already been listing books for my (tiny) daughter to read at various ages, but now realise that I have made a huge assumption that she will be an avid reader like me, will be really hard if she isn't! My brother had a reading-averse stage, never got the whole way through set books at school and relied heavily on the "York notes" (got away with it though, they are really good if all else fails), but then got into sci-fi / fantasy, now reads anything and everything.

Best wishes Heidi Hi, and Claribel. On telling what position the baby's in, your midwife or even husband might be able to tell which way round he is - with my breech baby, I had a big bump under my right boob,felt lots of kicks and hiccups down below (think they may kick when they hiccup!) and my husband could hear the heartbeat by putting his ear to the bump. The bump also looked bottom-heavy and lop-sided. Don't worry about being "pushy" with the doctors / midwives: ask all your questions, and challenge if you aren't happy etc. Reckon that if a C-section is necessary a planned C-section would be better than an emergency one, I had an emergency one (the breech wasn't diagnosed until I was in labour, so there was no time to try to turn the baby). The emergency one wasn't as bad as I had feared. The advantage of a planned one is that the care is scheduled, you are talked through things in advance, and everyone is in place on the day, whereas with an emergency people are working on other things and - for me - it felt quite rushed and a scramble to get them all there in theatre. My neighbour had a planned C-section shortly after mine, and reckon she had a much calmer experience. Linzkg, glad the (not so) little one is here - congratulations! Best wishes for the births.

Judy Blume was the in thing when I was 13, lots of great books, "Blubber" was one about bullying and how awful girls are to each other, really well done. Paula Danzinger similarly good. Perhaps select an author who has written loads of books, then if she likes one she can easily read lots of others by the same person. "Circle of Friends" by Maeve Binchy - girl from small village going to uni in Dublin, first love and betrayal, tensions of living with parents and wanting more freedom, a comforting read. The old-fashioned classics, "Anne of Green Gables" (as someone else has said), "Little Women", "Pride and Prejudice" (can't go wrong with romance!) "Girl with a Pearl Earring" or "Angels" (or something like that) by Tracy Chevalier. The latter is set in South London and the author worked as a guide in West Norwood cemetary as part of her research. The book's about a friendship between teenage girls in Victorian times. If she's into acting etc. Noel Streatfield's books are great, but v.dated. Coming from another angle, what about non-fiction? Some people just prefer it. Or even self-help, e.g. "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway" by Susan Jeffers. A bit cheesey and American, but quite fun and uplifting.

We have found that ibuprofen medicine is the best, by far, for teeth. Calpol and other remedies OK for the day, ibuprofen at night. Mine loves the powders but they don't seem to have any actual benefit and look disturbingly like cocaine!

Ooooh, now the gorgeous Richard Armitage in East Dulwich would be v.exciting! Do tell, Monica!

Mine does stuff like this at every phase, both before bed and during the night. Sitting / standing / walking etc. etc. The current ones are talking gibberish and trying to climb out of the cot! Hope the phase doesn't last long.

Has anyone been on the buses that go really fast down Denmark Hill to ED station then brake suddenly so everyone gets thrown around? Bad. Don't think is necessarily angry not-Nigel though, was sorry not to see the mug shot!

Bumping back up to the top as like this thread!

Private maternity care is very very expensive, and as someone else has mentioned you have to pay for everything, and C-sections in particular are v.pricy. If you are worried about having care on-hand if anything goes wrong though, some NHS hospitals have private wings, so you get the NHS consultant and are near the special care baby wards etc.

Completely agree with sillywoman. I used to be much more prudish but now don't care. Same with giving birth - have heard of people getting bikini waxes etc. in time for giving birth. I remember worrying about my legs being shaven and feet being in a good state. All pointless! Am now quite tough and recently walked down a mixed-sex ward with my hospital gown undone at the back, I had thought it was tied, but the bum and cellulite were all on show. A nice nurse rushed to sort me out, but have to say that after childbirth / breastfeeding etc. I really didn't care! Am sure the postmen in Dulwich are well used to a few postnatal boobs!

Have tried many places for lunch with our little one (15 months), and most places in ED are pretty friendly, but in recent months it has been a nightmare as she is manic, loves running round, grabbing/throwing stuff (especially glass and china) and climbing on chairs and tables, doesn't want to go in a high-chair etc. Much mayhem! Have tried bringing food / toys / books, but she just thinks it's more fun to explore restaurants. No interaction with partner possible and gobbled down food, felt like was spoiling others' lunch. Maybe in a while she will become an urban London baby and be an expert at good restaurant behaviour - until then we've decided to stick to picnics! On the bright side, not eating out saves money and calories. Boo.

Walk past the school lots and it has lovely grounds, but very rarely are there any kids (either from the school or visiting) actually visible - is a bit eerie.

At the one o clock club, Peckham Rye, last week, while watching my child climbing, we saw a tiny little girl, maybe 14 months or so, up really high up on a climbing frame next to a big drop to the floor, no-one watching her. Looked around for someone, asked where Mummy was etc. and finally lifted her down as we were worried she would fall and she looked anxious. She toddled away, right over to the other end of the playground, where there were a few ladies (presumably childminders) chatting in a group. The lady with her hadn't been watching at all and barely acknowledged the child when she went up to her, the child seemed really lost. Didn't know what to do - felt like I should say something to the lady, but didn't want to cause a confrontation and not my place to interfere etc. But it was a dangerous situation and would want to know if it was my child / childminder.

Best wishes HeidiHi. Agree with others that if you come out feeling upset, confused or having loads of questions that were unanswered, do ring them up to talk about it - I have done this and they are good about a doctor / nurse ringing back. Following up - not necessarily with a complaint, but just to address anything that was left hanging or ask more questions - also encourages the staff to think about how they speak to people in these kind of situations. We have found that some are much, much better than others in terms of what used to be called "bedside manner". Don't think they always realise how distressing it can be for women, or indeed anyone needing to be seen in hospital. I have also called Kings in advance of appointments when am unsure of what to expect, to ask questions about what the appointment will cover, what tests will be done etc. and have found this to be helpful in preparing myself. Again, they are good about this when you call, though it can sometimes take a while to get through to the right person. Hope you don't have to spend too much time there before / when the baby arrives, best wishes.

Some southerners I know have chips with grated cheese and mayo. Just to add some extra fat and salt. Tastes good though. Don't like pickled eggs though.

We do co-sleeping, more by accident than design!

No nice chips in East Dulwich or indeed down south!

It is so hard, good to hear what you are all doing. Completely agree that it should be more acceptable for Dads to do more. In this climate think they are scared that if they ask to leave early / work from home or part-time they will get binned. I get really upset as my partner works mega- long hours when he gets home after a full day in the office, and while he does his fair share with our daughter and th housework etc. when actually there he then works til silly hours of the night so I never see him. It is (1) work (2) our daughter (3) household and (4) everything else, including us/me! Have tried to be supportive, but after years and years of it am getting hopping mad with both him and his employer! Oh dear. I'm lucky to have a well-paid office job with a great (public sector) employer and had a full year off after working full-time before, then went back part-time, three days a week, which I enjoy as is a nice break from childcare but still leaves me with more of the week at home. Use a nursery, which is fine as long as she is well, but terrible when she gets ill as they won't give medication etc. end up taking lots of time off as no fall-back childcare except for the two of us. Work-wise three days isn't great though, especially as I also go in and leave early and have no flexibility to stay late. Feel like am always out of the office and behind and my boss says unhelpful things about the importance of time management while piling on the work and swanning in at 11am! grr. Also feel guilty when have to take time off if our daughter is ill or for anything else, as am not there that much anyway and get even more behind. May have to go up to four days if I want to get anywhere further career-wise. Reckon is worth keeping working for the medium to long-term financial returns - in short-run salary only covers cost of childcare, but staying in work builds the CV, can work towards promotion, make contacts then earn more in future etc. Short-term pain for long-term gain. Also, for me, more satisfying to work part-time than stay at home full-time, and easier! But depends on your partner too, could go wrong if both working all the time. Sorry that this is such a whingy post - think this is a really important issue and glad to be discussing it, don't mean to rant about husbands / bosses!

Like this thread! Get a unit or something high to change the baby on and a comfy area / cushions for feeding, will help your back and general aches and pains. Sleep - you can get obsessed with doing things to try to get them to sleep through. It can be less stressful to just forget all that and go with the flow. My daughter has always been a terrible sleeper and I have found it much easier to deal with since I have just relaxed about it. There is a blame culture that it must be something parents are doing wrong if they don't sleep through, which adds insult to injury, grrr. If the baby is colicky and cries a lot, try to get help (e.g. see if your partner can get home earlier for a few weeks or a friend can come over), it is tough to manage if you are by yourself. But it will pass. If you can afford it, get paid help of any kind! Am with Molly on getting stuff to hand before settling down to feed. Also, go to the loo if you need to before you feed / change the baby! Nothing worse than being trapped when bursting for the loo. Try to be nice to your partner day-to-day and night-to-night. Reckon this is more important than the "couple time" the books talk about. Get out of "duty" social / family things, especially if it involves travel or hosting - do stuff that you actually want to do, see people you actually want to see. If you haven't lost the baby weight, buy some nice, larger(cheap) clothes that fit well and that you feel OK in. Try not to worry about it (v.hard I know). Tea bags in cold water are great for cracked nipples, much better than the expensive nipple ointment (which is, however, a great post-pedicure cream).

Thank you so much for sharing that Molly. It's great that you were able to have your second daughter after all the bad times. I have got Lesley Regan's book, which is excellent, especially on the science side of things. I realise that there may not be an "answer", but am hoping that we might be able to rule a few things out before trying again. A couple of people have said that it is "masochistic" or "irresponsible" to keep trying after several miscarriages, which I have found upsetting. Thanks also for the info on private treatment - escalating costs are what I'm scared of, I'm sure once you are offered tests etc. it is hard to say no, and it could quickly cost a fortune. Think it'll be the twelve weeks wait for Kings - thanks Puffin, hope you get your appointment soon. I have found with Kings that the various maternity departments don't seem to know what the others do! The early pregnancy walk-in service is good though, lots of places don't have anything like this. I'm going to Kings again soon, will ask about the miscarriage clinic and who is in charge of it and post info up on here. Thank you very much again ladies, it's good to know am not alone.

......if so, it'd be good to have info on how long the waiting times are for the initial appointment and tests, what you thought of the service etc. - private message me if you don't want to discuss on the forum. We may be being referred there for recurrent miscarriage and are unsure whether it would be best to wait for an appointment there or spend savings on a private service elsewhere. Thanks.

There are always missing cat signs in Dulwich, is it the foxes getting them? Poor kitty cats.